


Breathe Into Me

by BlueStarPaladin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Drowning, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Klance Pinefest 2018, M/M, Minor Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-23 19:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18708799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStarPaladin/pseuds/BlueStarPaladin
Summary: Keith is the definition of a socially awkward person, single for as long as Pidge could remember. It was no wonder that her patience finally snapped and she was forced to drag her best friend out to the beach in hopes of finding him a partner. However, what she didn't expect was for Keith to almost die while finding himself a boyfriend.





	Breathe Into Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot I did for the [Klance Pinefest 2018](https://klancepinefest.tumblr.com/). If you didn't check them out, plz do so! They have more klance fics that are being released <3
> 
> A BIG thank you to [ashbro.arts](https://ashbro-arts.tumblr.com/post/184649231524/were-finally-here-my-companion-piece-for-the-fic) who made art for this story <3 And thank you so much SilviaMoon for betaing the fic <3

Keith was drowning.

Bubbles flowed upwards from his mouth and nose, the last bits of air that escaped while he tried to somehow claw his way back up to the surface. His eyes became hazy and he slowly felt his body losing strength.

All those people who said that your entire life flashed before your eyes when you’re about to die? They were right. Images of Shiro surfaced within his mind, back to the time when they used to race together on skateboards, and the time when they used to cuddle in bed before sleep. Then a flash of Adam, yelling at him for the silliest of things; he was getting scolded because he hadn’t cleaned his room like he was supposed to, and god, right now he wished he had cleaned it.

Then there was Pidge, glaring at him with all the might she could muster. Their first meeting was a tragedy and resulted in multiple confrontations, until they eventually became friends somehow. How? Don’t ask, he didn’t know. All he _does_ know is that when he was doing his art project in the library of their university one day, someone spilled coffee all over his work.

That was Pidge, who tripped on a wire just to his side. They argued for days after that and even became unspoken enemies before magically making amends.

He wished he could have been a better friend to her. They were both of the same kind of person, the anti-social type, who preferred to keep to their little corner. He should have treated her better as a friend.

His eyesight became dark, the edges of his vision darkened and his body weakened. Who knew the last thing he saw would be the surface below the sea, sparkling while sunlight reflected against it.

It was beautiful, and for a moment, he didn’t mind it if this was the way he died. He had already accepted death at this point, feeling his conscious drift away quickly.

Then, however, the peaceful image was disturbed by ripples in the water, a dark figure swimming towards him quickly. Keith didn’t move, couldn’t do anything but watch as the person neared.

He felt something pull him back up towards the surface, but at this point he was far too gone. He wasn’t even aware of it when they surfaced, warm rays of sunlight casting down its light upon his deathly pale skin.

There was nothing but darkness for Keith, until at one point he was pulled into the light again, this time brighter than before. He gasped loudly, coughing while trying to clear his lungs of the water that was still inside.

There was sand underneath him now, as warm as the sun itself.

“How are you feeling?” When he was aware enough to register the voice Keith looked to his side, spotting a silhouette of a person who knelt down beside him, just in front of the sun. he covered his eyes from the blinding rays, looking away while coughing some more.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now.” He felt a hand on his back, and when the figure moved, Keith allowed himself to look up again. What he saw may or may not have been a sacred image that made Keith freeze in his entire being.

The most beautiful creature he’d ever laid his eyes upon was looking down at him in concern, eyes bluer than the ocean itself shined brightly within the sun. Keith forgot to breathe for a second, his own orbs unmoving from the godlike being.

His heart beat faster, but at this point he didn’t know if it was because of his near death experience or because of the person kneeling in front of him.

“Are you okay? Feeling better now?” An angelic voice asked, and at this point Keith questioned if he really died or not. This sure looked more like heaven than anything else.

He was so out of himself that he couldn’t even utter a single word, his mouth hung open like a gasping fish. This definitely had to be heaven, and if it was, then this was his angel. Yeah, that must be it.

Now that he wasn’t as bothered by the bright rays of sun, Keith noticed the large crowd of people that surrounded him in a circle. Some covered their lips with their hands in shock, a few clung to their friends in fright, while others took out their phones to record him just in case he passed out again.

Did this happen in heaven as well? It was strangely similar to the mortal world he knew but that wouldn’t change his mind about the new life he was about to embrace. He was going to become an angel, or maybe a devil, whatever he was going to be-

“Keith!” Pidge? What was she doing up here? He didn’t remember her dying.

Keith pushed himself against the sand into a sitting position, turning his head to the direction of Pidge’s voice before he felt the sand to his left move. After that two tiny arms wrapped around his upper body, squeezing him tight, “Oh my god! I thought you were done for!”

Pidge?

“W-What?” Keith finally managed to stutter, voice sore and abused.

“You almost drowned Keith! You could have died! Do you realize that!?” Her voice was loud, breaking a couple of times while she squeezed him tighter.

“Almost drowned?” So this wasn't heaven? Then…

Keith looked around himself, regaining more clarity now that enough air filled his lungs. His eyes widened in horror when he saw all the people gathered around him, taking photos and videos for the whole world to see.

He felt incredibly embarrassed but the only thing that made the situation better, or worse, was the angel like guy who was still looking at him, his tanned hand placed contrastingly against his pale skin.

How was this person so perfect? His skin was an erotic colour with short brown hair that flew along the wind whenever it would pick up. His arms were muscular and _holy crap,_ he had the sexiest abs Keith had ever seen on anyone _ever_.

Those blue eyes still gazed at him, watching in concern, “Are you okay? Are you feeling drowsy?”

Keith parted his lips, trying to answer but found that no words came out of his mouth.

Gods knew that he was already lost to this guy, unable to function properly in his very presence.

“I think we should call an ambulance just in case.” Pidge did the talking for him and while she was usually good at pinpointing his pining symptoms, this time she didn’t want to risk it. It was difficult to distinguish between a malfunction of love at first sight and the aftermath of near drowning.

He had empathy for her. He’d be besides himself if she was in his position.

“On it.” The tanned boy reached for a walkie talkie he had on his orange vest, calling for an ambulance while Pidge tried to see if Keith was okay.

He wasn’t, but at the same time he was.

It was hard to explain.

All he knew is that at some point he was placed on a stretcher before he was taken to the ambulance. He heard the shutting of the door and then felt Pidge’s hands squeeze his own tightly, “Don’t worry Keith, you’ll be okay.”

That’s when he turned his head to look at her, finally finding his voice, “I think I’m in love.”

“What?” Pidge gave him the most confused look she could muster, face twisting in concern, “What are you talking about?”

“I’m in love Pidge. I ascended to heaven.” He tilted his head to the side, looking up at the roof of the van while the ambulance staff tended to him.

“Oh no! Nope! Keith! You’re not allowed to ascend to heaven right now! You hear me!? Wake up!” Pidge slapped his cheeks furiously until the doctor had to intervene and stop her, almost jumping at her in response.

“Ma’am! Calm down! Don’t slap the patient!”

“He’s going to die on us! If that happens I swear I’ll-”

“Pidge.” Keith stuttered, “This is the best day of my life.”

And after that, Pidge may or may not have decided that she would take Keith’s life herself.

 

* * *

 

“Keith!” The door of the hospital room slammed open, allowing for a panicked Shiro to rush inside, followed closely by his boyfriend, Adam, “Are you alright!?”

“Easy Shiro.” Pidge raised her hands from her spot next to Keith’s bed, turning to face the duo fully, “Don’t worry, he survived.”

“I survived.” Keith sat up from his bed, bracing himself for the scolding that was about to come.

“What happened?” Adam was out of beath, walking around the bed to get a closer look at Keith, “And you’re not lying to us, are you? Let’s see, your eyes aren’t red and you seem to be breathing normally. Are you-”

“I’m fine.” Keith assured, looking over the three people in the room. He leaned his upper body against the headrest of the bed, listening to the pelicans as they made their bird noises outside, flying just above the sea while the waves broke against the shore’s rocks.

The hospital was peaceful, or at least it would have been if Pidge remained quiet. She’d talked his ears off ever since they placed him into this room to recover, and now with the addition of Shiro and Adam, the quietness was further disturbed.

“You have a lot of explaining to do.” Shiro sat himself on the edge of the bed, “First of all, tell me how you ended up in the water. You know you can’t swim.”

And for that they would have to rewind back before this whole incident happened.

.

.

.

Pidge and he had finished their last class of the day when they decided that it would be a good idea to go to the beach. Rather, it was Pidge’s idea. Keith hated the sun like it was his mortal enemy, granted that Pidge felt the same way, but that wasn’t the point.

The point is that he was a loser, and Pidge finally decided to place her foot down on his hopeless love life and take matters into her own hands. In hopes of finding him a boyfriend, Pidge managed to drag him all the way to the beach, the best spot for checking people out.

When his sandals first stepped onto the sand, Keith felt his poor gay heart speed up. There were hot guys everywhere he looked, from left to right, he was surrounded by people he could only dream of dating. Granted most of them looked like they were straight, but it made no difference to Keith.

God… He could feel his legs weaken at the sight of muscular guys playing volleyball, or just walking around topless and showing all the goods they had.

This was a forbidden area.

“Today _is_ the day Keith.” Pidge pressed her hands against her hips, head held high, “Today we’re finding you a man.”

“Not that I need your help Pidge.” He tried to act cool, if anything then to hide what an impact all of this had on him. But even though he was looking away with folded arms, he couldn’t fool Pidge who noticed him looking over a guy in a matter of seconds.

“Yeah, _rightttttt_. As if I trust anything you say Kogane. We both know what a loser you are when it comes to love. Well, guess what, this is the time I decided that all of that bullshit is over. You’re getting laid and I’ll make sure you get to do it before the end of the month.”

“I’ll get laid when I want Pidge.” He tried to look away, “I don’t need your help with this.”

“Oh you’re getting help. I’ve been watching you suffer for months now and it ends today. You’re getting your dick and I’ll make sure of it.”

_“Getting dick! Getting dick!”_

Pidge and Keith both turned when they heard someone say that, Keith’s cheeks red as his eyes landed on a single parrot. The bird had one of its legs tied to the wooden post it was standing on, blinking while looking at them.

“Oh my god… The bird is your kin Keith.”

“Shut up.” The boy facepalmed, cursing fate for placing him in this predicament, “I hate you right now.”

“Good. If that gets you a boyfriend then I’ll live with it.” Pidge didn’t waste another second, pushing him forward so that Keith could get moving, “Do you see any potential suitors? Anyone catch your eye?”

“There are a lot of guys that already caught my eye Pidge.” He frowned, “The problem is that they’re straight.”

“Don’t be so quick to judge Keith. You never know, maybe they like dick too.”

“Ugh… I hate you.” Violet eyes wandered around, eyeing a couple of muscular guys to his right, “And I hate you for exposing me to this. I hate the sun and I hate having to be here looking at all this. Can I go home?”

“Nope. We’re on a mission, I told you that already.” Pidge joined him in his observing, particularly focusing on guys that might be interested in Keith. There were a lot of people on the beach today, many of the guys were just laying around to let the sun bake them. A number of women were tanning with bikinis,  their butts proudly exposed. Some of them were braless even, and Pidge couldn’t help but stare as she passed them by.

She couldn’t understand the lengths some people would go to just to show off their goods. Ugh… At least cover yourselves in public places. Contrary to her view on it, she knew that many people enjoyed the views they were getting. Heck, that’s why some people came to the beach at all, but not Pidge. She wasn’t interested in any of this. As a proud ace, she was good.

“Look!” Pidge tugged on Keith’s hand when she spotted a potential target, “That’s James Griffin! He goes to the same biology class as me. I think you should give him a shot.”

Keith’s eyes flew over to the guy, looking him up and down. James was muscular with abs and gorgeous short brown hair. His eyes were narrowed and his pale skin was practically shining under the intense sunlight. It might have been because of the suncream he had on, but Keith didn’t care. He liked what he was seeing, and he liked it a lot.

But there was one problem.

“I’m not approaching him Pidge. He looks like the definition of straight. I can already see him mocking me for even trying.”

“Well…” Pidge grinned, “You may not know this but the rumour is that James is bi. I saw him flirt with a guy in class once. I think you may have a real shot here.”

“Really?” Keith hesitated, feeling uneasy as he turned to stare at James again. He felt himself sway in place when James smiled, talking to two of his friends who were standing beside him.

Oh god… “I don’t want to embarass myself, Pidge.”

“You have to put yourself out there Keith. Look, I know it’ll be awkward as shit but you have to take action if you want a boyfriend. If nobody will come to you, then you have to go to them. Besides, you can’t keep using the excuse that everyone is straight forever. It’s time to take action.”

“What if I’m waiting for the right one? If I’m meant to be with someone then fate will bring them to me.”

“You’ve been telling yourself that for _years_ .” Pidge sighed, “And you’re _still_ single.”

“I have the time. I’m still in my early twenties.”

“Keith.” Pidge moved to nudge him forward, “Please? Just try it this one time, for me? You won’t regret it, I promise.”

“But what do I say? If you’re making me do it then at least come with me.”

“Of course I’m coming with you. You’ll need the backup. I’m not that cruel.” She huffed, pushing Keith out into the sun so that they could make their way over to James and his two friends. James  quickly noticed their approach, making Keith all the more nervous.

“Well, if it isn’t Katie Holt.” James smiled, looking over them while his two friends turned their way as well, “I never thought I’d see you on the beach.” He looked her up and down, surprised to see that she was wearing a crop top and shorts, “Dressed like that.”

“Can’t you see how pale I am?” The girl shrugged, “it’s not like I have two bottles of suncream sprayed all over myself, like a certain someone.”

“I have to protect my pale skin from the sun.” James flexed his arm, “All the while showing off what I have to offer.” He turned to Keith next, checking him out, “And who is he?”

“This is Keith.” Pidge proudly introduced, slapping Keith lightly on the back to get him out of his trance, “Keith Kogane. He’s a fellow Altea University student, an art major.”

“Art, huh? That sounds nice.” James leaned his hands against his hips, “Tell me Keith, did you come here to see what you can draw? If you’d like, I can volunteer to be your next canvas.”

Keith tensed, unsure how to respond to that, “R-Really?”

“Of course. Then again, i doubt you can recreate my beauty in its fullest. Not even Da Vinci could draw me if he tried.”

“Is that a challenge?” Pidge probed, set on getting Keith that date, “Because Keith can prove you wrong any time of the day.”

“Oh? Sorry kiddo, I doubt he can. No offense Keith, but I really don’t think you’d be able to do it. With those slim arms of yours? I’m surprised you can pick anything up, let alone draw.” James grinned, the two of his friends chuckling beside him.

Keith narrowed his eyes, deciding that he didn’t give any fucks anymore, “These slim arms can do plenty. How about I use them to kick your ass?”

James’ friends howled at that before breaking out into laughter. James didn’t like it one bit, moving to hover above Keith with a scowl on his face, “I’d be the one kicking your ass in that fight. Want to see how it would turn out? Come on, let’s do it right here and now.”

“Whoa! There will be no fighting here!” Pidge stepped between them, creating a wall to separate the two, “I think it would be best if we left.”

“That’s right.” James folded his arms, “You should run away, just like the coward you are. Right Kevin? You’d want to run away right now, wouldn’t you?”

“My name is Keith.” The boy hissed, “And I bet you’d like me to run because then you wouldn’t have to fight me. Coward.”

“Oh shoot! You just went there dog!” One of James’ friends chuckled, amused by the scene in front of him.

“You must think you’re some kind of a big shot.” James narrowed his eyes further, “But in reality you’re a loser. I don’t have to fight you to tell.” He quickly snatched the sunglasses Keith was wearing, and threw them out into the sea.

Pidge and Keith watched them fly and then plop into the water. Pidge gasped, quickly restraining Keith with her short arms before he could do greater damage, “Let me go Pidge! This guy asked for it!” He tried to get out of her hold but Pidge remained insistant.

“It’s not worth it Keith! You’re on the watch list, remember? If you do shit now, then the school will learn about it!”

“Your friend making excuses for you Kevin? Pathetic.” James turned to walk away, “I hope you manage to get your glasses back. Wait, you probably won’t! They’re long gone now! Haha!” He laughed, joined by his two friends as he walked away.

Keith hissed as he watched them go, struggling against Pidge’s hold so that he could go at them, “Let me go Pidge!”

“Never.” She persisted, “Just forget about it Keith. It’s my fault, I didn’t know James was such a prick. It was a mistake, let’s just move on.”

“Shiro gave me those glasses!” Keith stopped and instead turned to focus on the sea, looking in the general direction of where he saw James throw them. He took off his shirt hastily, letting it fall onto the sand before he stepped towards the water, “And I’m going to get them back.”

“What? Are you nuts!? You can’t swim!”

“I don’t care. I’m getting those glasses Pidge!”

“Let me do it then!” She tugged at his hand, “I’ll get them for you.”

“No, I’ll do it. The water is shallow here. I won’t have to swim.” He freed himself of Pidge’s hold, stomping into the water. It was a bit cold at first, and it only got colder and colder the deeper he went. Luckily though, the shore really was shallow, allowing Keith to walk to the spot where James threw his sunglasses.

He kneeled down to search for it among the sand underneath, trying to see if there were any colours that stood out from above the water.

“Did you find it?” Pidge asked from where she stood, her feet in water.

“No, it’s not here.” Keith grumbled, continuing in his search. Shiro would kill him if he didn’t find those glasses. They were one of the more expensive things his brother gave him, and he wasn’t about to lose them like this.

Luckily, as if the deities were looking down upon him, Keith spotted something dark in his sights. He could vaguely make out the shape of the glasses from above the water, making him smile as he approached it.

Then his luck ran out. Just when he was about to take another step closer, Keith felt himself fall into the water. His foot had nothing to stand on and somehow, without even knowing how, Keith found himself in a not so shallow part of the sea.

“H-Help! Pidge!” He called for his friend, trying to regain his footing as best he could. There was nothing underneath him, however, as if he found himself on some sort of underwater cliff and now he was falling down it.

“Keith!” Pidge called out after him, quickly running towards him, “Somebody help! My friend is drowning!” She called out for help, and as soon as she did she heard someone blow a whistle. She didn’t care though, trying to get to Keith as fast as she could.

She stopped in her run when she couldn’t find her footing under the water. She didn’t know how to swim but in wake of saving Keith, she was willing to take that step.

”I’m on it!” With her adrenaline high, she turned when she heard someone say that besides her. There was a guy with a whistle around his neck and a board in his hand, making his way quickly to the drowning Keith.

Pidge watched in agonizing worry as the guy swam and then dove into the water. He came back up with Keith in his arms, holding onto him securely. Keith was unconscious when the tanned guy placed him on top of his board, and quickly pushed him to the shore.

Pidge was relieved when she saw Keith emerge from under the water but that didn’t mean that the danger was over. She quickly followed the guy who she now understood was a lifeguard to the shore. He placed Keith on the ground before he began applying emergency CPR.

Watching someone try to bring your best friend back to life wasn’t an experience she thought she’d go through, her heart beat rapidly within her ribcage. She knelt down beside the unconscious Keith as the guy pressed his hands against Keith’s chest, then moved to give him air through the mouth.

It was then that Keith came back to life, coughing out the water that was within his lungs. Relief washed over her, and she had to hold herself back from immediately throwing herself onto her idiot friend.

And that was how they ended up in the hospital.

“I can’t believe this.” A tired Shiro leaned his arms against Keith’s bed, breathing into his hands, “You almost died because you wanted to prove that bully wrong? You know better than that Keith.”

“He was a jerk.” The boy frowned, folding his arms, “If I died it would have been his fault.”

“I don’t care whose fault it would have been.” Adam’s glare was so disapproving that Keith couldn’t find it in himself to meet his eyes, “You wouldn’t be here with us if it happened. Just like _that_ Keith.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” And he really was sorry, “My anger got the better of me. I promise not to do it again.”

“You promised you wouldn’t do it before.” Shiro pointed out, “And yet here we are.”

“But this time I really mean it.”

“You better.” Adam decided it was high time to put his foot down, “Because you’re grounded for a week. That will give you enough time to reflect on your actions.”

“What!? But what about school!?”

“Nobody will notice you’re gone for a week. I’m sure you’ll handle it.” Adam was unwavering on this, “For a week, you’re not allowed to step foot out of your room.”

“You can’t do that.” Keith frowned, “Freedom aside, you’re preventing me from going to _school_.”

“I value your life much more than education.” In this way Adam was different from other parental figures, “If a week home gives you the time you need to reflect, then I’d be willing to sacrifice it. It’s like taking a sick week. You’re going to be in your room, thinking about what you’ve done today.”

“You’re not serious, are you?”

 _“Oh I’m serious.”_ Adam folded his arms, and knowing the man, Keith knew that it was true. He tilted his head to look at Shiro who returned the disapproving look. He was outnumbered and knew better than to hope for a victory.

He was grounded for a week, which meant that he was going to be stuck doing nothing. Keith sighed deeply, burying his head into the pillows behind him.

“It won’t be that bad.” Pidge tried, “You’ll have a week to think about the guy who saved your life. Also… you get to mourn the loss of your first kiss experience.”

“What?” That immediately caught Keith’s attention, “What do you mean?”

“The guy did CPR Keith.” She grinned, leaning back against her chair, “He gave you  mouth to mouth. That’s how you came back to life, with a _prince’s_ kiss.”

 _“What!???_ You’re lying! Please tell me you’re lying Pidge!” Keith sat up, eyes wide and full of disbelief. _No, no, no_ , this wasn’t how his first kiss went! Not when it was with the literal guy of his dreams, all the while he was unconscious for it!

“Nope. You’re lucky I was too out of it to film, but that doesn’t mean that other people didn’t.” Pidge pulled out her phone, tapping away before she turned it to show Keith the image, or rather the video that was on it. Keith’s eyes went wide as he stared at the clip, Adam and Shiro joined him as well. The two older men were terrified to watch it, all the while Keith felt a massive blush take root on his cheeks.

_Holy shit._

Keith thought his poor heart would jump out of his throat when he saw the moment the guy kissed him, frozen on his bed with unnaturally wide eyes. That was his first kiss, first kiss _ever_ , with a guy so hot he could only dream him up in his imagination.

And he _missed_ it.

How in the world did he have such terrible luck?

“We need to thank the lifeguard for saving you. We’ll need to stop by the beach, maybe tomorrow.” Shiro suggested to his boyfriend while Keith was still recovering from the shock.

“Definitely. Maybe we could bring over some sweets.”

“Please god, just don’t embarrass me.” Keith pleaded, letting himself fall against the bed so that he could bury his face into the pillows. He wished he could disappear, just vanish out of this plane of his miserable existence.

“You’ve already embarrassed yourself Keith.” Pidge teased, “The best thing you can do right now is think about how you’ll approach him after your house arrest ends. You don’t need to worry though, I’ll have your back.”

“ _Ughhhhhhh…_ .” Keith groaned into the pillow, his emotions all over the place. He felt embarrassed, and incredibly turned on, but at the same time he questioned how crazy it was that this would happen to _him_. If you had asked him the day before if he expected to find himself in a hospital, he would have laughed at your face.

Yet here he was, laying on a hospital bed so that the doctors could keep an eye on him for a little bit before allowing him to return back home.

Kill him!

 

* * *

 

Just as Adam promised, Keith spent an entire week stuck in his room. He did nothing but lay in bed, daydreaming about the mysterious guy who saved him from drowning. His curiosity was killing him. _What was his name? How old was he? Was he single?_

He needed to know, and he needed to know _right now._

Luckily for him, Pidge was his ears and eyes while he was stuck home, texting him throughout the day. Although she was helpful, many of her texts were bothersome.

_‘I’m hungryyyyy.’_

_‘Fuck you Kogane. Do you know what torture it is to be all alone for lunch????’_

_‘Damn it’s hot today. I hate summer.’_

_‘Okay so I didn’t find anything solid but I got his name! The guy of your dreams is Lance McClain and he attends Altea University! Holy shit! How come I never saw him before!?’_

And that got Keith’s immediate attention. He sat up from his bed and quickly called Pidge. He didn’t want to bother with texting, this was too important for that.

“Hey loser!” Pidge answered quickly, “I knew you’d call me after that-”

“He goes to the same university!? What the _hell?”_

“I know, right!? I was surprised too! He’s a theatre major though, so that could explain it. I never see anyone from theatre, it’s like, on the other side of the facility.”

“Holy shit.” Keith breathed, still trying to digest that piece of information, “Is he single? Does he have a girlfriend? A boyfriend? I need the goods Pidge!”

“Hmmm… and what are you willing to give for it?”

“Only goblins would use this as a chance to harass their friends.” Keith frowned, “Just tell me already.”

“You really think I wouldn’t use this chance? _Pfft!_ I thought you knew me Keith.”

“I _know_ you Pidge. I was just trying to see if you had some good within your evil rotten heart, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Damn right you were.” Pidge didn’t sound offended by it at all, “So? What do I get?”

Keith sighed deeply, “We’ll have a paranormal activities marathon night. You’ve been begging for that a while ago.”

“We’re already having our conspiracy nights together! That won’t please me, next.”

“I’ll buy you lunch for a week?”

“Deal!” Keith regretted it, but at the same time, he needed the information desperately, “So… I have some bad news and some good news…”

“Let me guess, he’s straight and has a girlfriend?”

“...”

“I knew it.” Keith let himself fall against the bed, picking up a pillow so that he could let out a loud groan into it, _“Fuck!”_

“I said I had some good news too! Listen up Kogane!” Pidge’s voice was loud, “He’s dating this girl called Allura. She’s in my mathematics class, and I’ll admit, she’s stunning and beautiful and-”

_“Pidge.”_

“Hear me out! The story is that he’s dating her but from what I heard they’re not getting along as well as they used to at first. I think they’re on the verge of breaking up. Granted this is all a rumour but I heard that they didn’t really _click_. I think he’s free game.”

“You just said that he has a girlfriend.”

“I said that he’s going to break up with her, if he already didn’t do it.” Pidge corrected, “AND apparently he’s bi. You have a solid chance Keith!”

“Really?” Keith moved the pillow away from his face, eyes shining in hope once again.

“Yeah! I think we finally found someone! When your house arrest ends, we’re commencing our mission of wooing the guy! I’m really excited, just so you know, this might work out!”

“But he’s out of my league Pidge.” The guy was a catch but Keith… who would date him? “I might like him but that doesn’t mean he’ll see me in the same way.”

“That’s why you’ll need to make the _effort_ to get to know him. Leave it to me Keith, I’ll set up opportunities for you guys to talk. From then on, you’ll have to take over.”

“I’ll screw it up. I always screw everything up.”

“Where’s your confidence?” Pidge huffed, “Listen, while you’re stuck in your bedroom, I need you to think about what you’re going to say. Think of backup lines if you need to. Plan the conversation, look up tips on the internet. Anything to help you, you hear me?”

That wasn’t such a bad idea, “Okay, sounds good.”

“And I’ll keep gathering information. I met this guy named Hunk, and I feel in _love_ Keith. He’s Lance’s best friend and he always carries food around. He shared his tortillas with me Keith! Freaking _tortillas!_ All handmade!”

Keith’s lips quirked at that, smiling, “What do I do? My friend is leaving me behind… I’m so lonely.”

“You fucker. You know I’d never leave you, we’re friends for life.” Pidge bit back, “All I’m saying is that there are awesome people we haven’t met yet in our quiznaking university. Hunk has a girlfriend called Shay and she’s-” The chime of a bell startled the girl, “Oh shoot! I’ll call you later Keith! Gotta go!”

“Have fun Pidge.” He managed to say before Pidge hung up the phone, leaving him in the silence of his room once again.

Keith tossed his phone beside him on the bed, letting his upper body fall against it as well. He really might have a solid chance with this guy, Lance. The memory of Lance swimming down to pull him up from underneath the water played within his mind, soft lips against his own.

Wait! Didn’t he technically get kissed twice? Once under the water, and then the second time on the shore.

Keith’s face reddened, yelling into his pillow as if he was a high school girl in love. Quiznak, he’d already fallen so deep. He didn’t have anything to lose either.

All shame aside, Keith decided to give this a shot. For Lance? He’d even swim across the Atlantic if he had to.

 

* * *

 

The day after his house arrest ended, Keith found himself waking up too early for his liking. He never got ready for school this fast in his entire life. Even Shiro and Adam were still asleep by the time he dressed and went downstairs to get breakfast.

He poured his usual dose of coffee and then got a piece of toast before he was out the door, making his way to the bus stop that would get him to campus. He looked out of the window nervously while the bus moved, indulging himself in his music so that he could tone out all the noise other people were making.

When his stop finally came up, Keith walked out and decided to make his way to the small coffee shop that was just to the side of the university. Pidge picked up her coffee every morning here religiously so he knew that she’d come if he waited long enough.

He didn’t want to look like a jerk just sitting there so he got himself another sandwich just for the sake of it. He sat next to the window, looking out at the cars that were passing by on the road, and looked at the students that were beginning to gather in front of the gates.

He had really got up early, hadn’t he?

Keith got bored very quickly, busying himself with the sandwich and his phone. He checked his Tumblr account about four times already before he decided to move to his Twitter. When he looked up, however, just to see if Pidge was coming, he spotted someone unexpected in front of the gate.

Keith’s eyes widened once he saw Lance, _the_ Lance at the gate. The boy was wearing jeans along with a crop top t-shirt that did wonders in showing off his tanned arms. Keith almost drooled at the sight.

Lance’s smile was as bright as the sun, laughing along with another student that was of a larger build. Were they friends? Please let them be friends and nothing more.

Keith’s eyes remained glued to the figure as he walked onto the university grounds, and as if fate would have it, the door of the coffee shop opened at that moment, Pidge came inside with a frown on her face. Her hair was a mess and her glasses were tilted to the side. It was a normal look for Pidge in the morning but Keith didn’t care to comment on it today. Instead he quickly stood up and dragged the girl to his table.

“Hey-Keith!? What the quiznak are you doing here?” The girl protested at first but when she noticed that it was her best friend bothering her, she gave up the fight and let Keith lead her to the table. They sat down in the cozy booth before Keith pointed to Lance’s general direction.

“I saw him Pidge. He really goes to the same university.”

“Huh? You thought I would lie about that? You jerk.” She frowned, rolling her eyes, “I need caffeine for this. Give me a minute.” She abandoned her post in favour of walking up to the counter. Keith remained seated, guarding their stuff as he watched Lance.

Unluckily for him, Lance soon disappeared behind the door and out of Keith’s sight.

Today is the day he’d talk to him. Keith had to both physically and mentally prepare himself for that.

 

* * *

 

When his last lesson for the day ended, Keith found himself pacing outside Pidge’s classroom door, waiting for the girl to come out so that she could introduce him to Hunk. Then through Hunk he would meet Lance. It was a sort of plan they made, and he was determined to stick to it.

Luckily there were couches just in front of the door so Keith sat on them and endured the anxious wait. It was so quiet, not a single soul outside. He could hear Coran’s voice through the door, talking about some sort of animal species called a ‘ghost shark’. Keith never heard of it before, but he made a mental note to search it up later.

At some point he got bored of waiting so he decided to hop into the university’s coffee shop to get a snack. It would take a minute and he doubted Pidge’s class would be over anytime soon.

He walked in casually, opening the door before he approached the fridges that were set out. There were sandwiches, boxed meals, salads, junk food, and many other foods that the students would want. Although the prices weren’t as sympathetic to the poor students as they were at the coffee shop outside.

Five dollars for a small cup of caffe latte? What were they thinking? That he was made of money? Out of spite Keith decided to ignore the coffee and instead searched for a snack. The cookies look especially good tod-

“Hi, one milkshake please, and one bag of chips for my friend.” Keith frowned, displeased that someone would have the nerve to go before him when he was here first. Violet eyes looked up, planning to tell the person off before he froze in shock.

Lance. _Lance_ was standing next to him.

He felt his mouth gasp and move like a fish, wanting to say something but without the actual words coming out. Then Lance turned to face him and holy smokes! Keith thought that he would faint right then and there.

Lance gasped as soon as he saw him, his eyes widening, “Oh my god! I’ve been looking all over for you! You’re the guy that almost drowned! You gave me quite a scare there, you’ve been gone for a whole week!”

“H-Hi.” Keith managed to say, his embarrassment hitting him in full force, “Yeah, that’s me. I’m Keith, hi, nice to meet you.” He offered his hand, and for a minute it was just hanging between them before Lance took it, shaking his hand.

“I’m Lance, and the two of us have a lot to talk about.” Lance winked at him, and that was when Keith felt a pang in his chest. How was he already this deep?

“Y-Yeah, we do.”

“Let’s sit down. You don’t have a lesson, do you?”

“No, i was just waiting for Pidge.”

“She has a lesson? That sucks.” Lance smiled, “Do you think she’ll find us here? Or should we move somewhere else?”

“I-It’s fine. I’ll text her and let her know we’re here.” Keith hoped that his voice didn’t sound as nervous as he was. What was this? How did this even happen? Was he sweating? He was _definitely_ sweating, and shaking! Deities help him.

“Cool. Let’s order first and then we can talk.”

“Sounds good.” Keith desperately tried to prevent his heart from jumping out of his chest, feeling each and every beat against his ribcage. Somehow he managed to order a cookie and a coffee despite not wanting it before. That’s what nervousness did to people, they make irrational decisions and spent money on items just to look cool. At least he hoped that he didn’t look nervous..

Quiznak, who was he kidding? He looked like an utter fool and he knew it.

He took his items to an empty table on the side, waiting for Lance to join him while he tried to calm himself. _Alright Kogane, this is your moment. Remember what the internet taught you and you’ll do good._ First impressions mattered, and while Lance made a great first appearance, he had to make up for his own.

When he spotted Lance walking over to him, he tensed up, trying to calm himself as the other boy moved to sit on the other side of him, “Sorry I took a while, Hunk asked me to get him these chips and a pie for testing.”

“Testing?” Keith raised a brow at that.

“Yeah, the campus food is terrible so he decided to change it. He’s in the process of making a new menu for the shop and then he’s planning to meet the director so that they can talk about it.”

“Wow, he’s dedicated.”

“Hunk loves food. It’s his passion.” Lance smiled, and Keith found himself dazed as he stared back at those beautiful blue eyes, “But anyway, I’ve been meaning to check up on you. It’s been a week and Pidge told me you were under house arrest.”

“Yeah… I-I mean, yes, I was.” Keith cleared his throat, “My guardians were upset I ventured out that deep into the water when I can’t swim. They decided that the best punishment would be a week of house arrest. I spent the entire week reflecting on my actions.”

“Did you really?”

“I did.” Keith busied himself opening a small pack of sugar, “I won’t do it again.”

“That’s good to hear.” Lance smiled, taking a sip of his milkshake, “But if you decide you want to give swimming a try one day then I can help you with that. Not to brag but I’m a natural in water. I can teach you how to swim in five days tops.”

Should he take Lance up on the offer? The answer was obvious.

“I’d love to actually.” Keith leaned his elbow against the table, “Summer is just around the corner, and I’d love to swim deeper into the sea. I can’t really swim around with kids and grannies all around me in the shallow water.”

“You’ve come to the right person then.” Lance pointed his spoon at him, “Give me a week. I’ll have you swimming like a champ by then.” He lowered the spoon, cutting into a pie he bought for himself, “But I was surprised when I heard that you go to the same university. What major are you?”

“Art. You?” Keith already knew but it would be polite to ask. Also, he didn’t want to look like a creep.

“Theatre. It’s weird though, we always have the art major students make props for us. I’m really surprised I never saw you before.”

“The theatre is on the other side of the campus and I tend to hang out in the art room most of the time. That could explain it.”

Lance hummed, “Are you a first year?”

“Yep.”

“Me too. I bet we would have met eventually, but hey, it’s good we met sooner than later. You seem like a nice guy, both you and Pidge. We should hang out sometime. Hunk would love the company and Shay will love you instantly. I have to warn you though, if you make her cry Hunk and I will kick your ass. Shay is precious and she has to be protected at all costs.”

“I’ll make sure to remember that then.” Keith smiled, sipping on his horrid coffee. It was funny how he felt all of his nervousness wash away.

“All jokes aside, Shay will most likely stuff your hands with pies and tea herbs as soon as she sees you.” Lance teased, chewing on his food, “And about our lessons, how does tomorrow at three sound? Do you have any uni work then?”

Keith hummed in thought, trying not to look desperate, “I should be free by then.”

“Perfect. Does that sound good to you then? I’d suggest we meet up on the weekend but as you already know, I work a part time job as a lifeguard. I have to be on duty from morning to noon but after that we can have a lesson right away.”

“I’m good on the weekends anytime. Just let me know what times you’ll be free at.”

“Cool.” Lance leaned himself further on the table, “I seem to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours?”

Huh? Was he asking for his phone number? “Yeah, I think you’ll need it.”

“Perfecto.” Lance reached for his phone, exchanging it with Keith’s so that they could both put in their numbers. When they typed it in and saved it, they gave each other their phones back, “Thanks. I’ll text you the times when I’m free for the lessons.”

“Sounds good.” Keith smiled, meeting Lance’s blue eyes before he took a sip of his coffee. He would have stuck out his tongue if he could because the coffee was just that bad, but he didn’t want to leave a bad impression on the brunette.

Just then Pidge entered the coffee shop and joined them, Then in came Hunk who turned out to be one of the kindest people Keith had ever met. Things were looking up for him.

 

* * *

 

On the day of his first swimming lesson Keith was sweating profoundly. He was in his swimming trunks, covered in sunscreen and ready to get wet. Pidge was beside him, also in her one-piece swimming attire as they walked down the beach, ready to meet Lance and Hunk who were already waiting for them there.

“Remember Keith, there’s nothing to worry about. Lance offered to give you swimming lessons, that’s a big quiznaking sign.”

“If anything _your_ speech is going to make me nervous Pidge.” The pale boy looked around, already spotting Lance just by the shore. Hunk was beside him, and the Shay girl was there too. It would be a good opportunity to get to meet her but a part of Keith was salty. He hoped he’d get a chance to be with Lance alone but he’d take this at least.

“I’ll keep them occupied.” As if reading his mind, Pidge patted him on the shoulder, “You’ll have your alone time with Lance, don’t worry.”

“Thanks Pidge.” Pidge got him, and it was at times like these that he was thankful for the girl.

“Hey! You made it just on time.” Hunk greeted them with a big fat smile, so wide that it made Keith return the smile as soon as he saw it.

“I can’t be late to my first swimming lesson.” Keith greeted, eyes meeting Shay’s, “And you must be Shay. I heard a lot about you.”

“That’s me.” Her smile was wide, just as wide as Hunk’s own, “It’s nice to meet you. Hunky Bear told me that you were the one Lance saved a week ago. Are you alright?”

“I’m good.” Keith hid his hands within his pockets, “It’s been a week already, I’d be worried if I wasn’t fine by then.”

“He’s an idiot.” Pidge added, looking over at Shay, “It’s nice to meet you Shay. I’m Pidge”

“Likewise.”

“Well! I see that you’re prepared for your swim Keith.” Lance leaned his hands against his hips, and god, Keith had a full view to admire Lance as he stood. He had muscular arms, a lean body, long fingers, and long legs. He may not have abs as some other guys he’d seen but _damn_ , Lance was stunning.

Maybe accepting swimming lessons wasn’t such a good idea after all. How would he survive this?

“Are you ready to begin?” Lance offered his hand for Keith to take, and that alone made Keith’s poor heart beat faster.

“I’m ready.” He accepted it and let Lance lead him to the water. Pidge, Hunk, and Shay all watched them go, and as promised, Pidge took it upon herself to give Keith and Lance as much privacy as she could. Although the thing was that neither Hunk nor Shay seemed to be willing to join them.

Keith’s swimming lesson ended in a success, at least as far as Pidge could see it. Then as they separated from Lance and his group, Pidge found herself face to face with a broken Keith. He was lovestruck, as if an angel of love managed to hit him with his little arrow right on the ass.

She grinned all day long after that, happy that Keith would finally get himself a boyfriend if all of this worked out.

 

* * *

 

Keith began his swimming lessons on Monday and now with Thursday coming around the corner, he couldn’t believe how much progress he made. Lance kept to his word and was set on teaching Keith how to swim within the promised one week.

The ravenette half thought Lance was joking but that didn’t seem to be the case. Lance was determined to keep his word and he really did it. By Wednesday Keith was able to swim in the shallower waters, and tomorrow, they were planning to go a bit deeper into the sea.

Lance promised that he would be there by his side, and Keith was content with trying if Lance was going to be there. That’s how he found himself standing on the beach again, facing the vast blue as if he was challenging it. Today he’d be swimming further out into the sea, and he’d succeed.

For once, he was glad that he wasn’t failing miserably. He always hated swimming or doing anything that involved him getting wet, but now? You could shoot a water gun at him and he wouldn’t be mad. Why? Because Lance loved the sea, and Keith could see it every time he looked out at the waves.

He doesn’t think that he, himself, will ever be as fond of water as Lance was, but he came to appreciate some of its beauty through Lance’s eyes.

“Hey Keith, ready for the big day?” The boy turned when he heard Lance’s voice, spotting him just behind himself before smiling. Lance was in his swimming trunks, gorgeous and ready for the day ahead.

This time they met a little earlier than they usually would because they both had classes later in the day. They could have stayed home to prepare but neither of them were privy to that. Lance was determined to keep his promise, and Keith was here for Lance.

“I’m ready. Let’s do it.” Keith smirked, meeting those blue orbs with flames within his eyes. He was happy at the prospect that he’d learn how to swim, but he was also excited to show Lance that he could do this. He was here to impress, not disappoint.

 

* * *

 

“You’re in so deep.” Pidge shrugged, sipping on her chocolate milkshake while throwing a couple glances Keith’s way. The dork was leaning against the table, stargazing into a wall to the side with a longing look on his face, “It’s been a week already. You should ask him out.” She suggested, but when she received no response, she proceeded to kick Keith’s legs, snapping him out of his trance.

“Ow! What’s the big deal Pidge?” He grumbled, holding onto his abused knee while the girl rolled her eyes.

“I said that you should ask him out. It’s been a week already, and you spent that week with Lance giving you lessons on how to swim, which you’ve learned how to do. Congrats by the way.”

“Thanks. It’s all thanks to Lance.” Keith was about to fall into his trance again before Pidge kicked him.

“Ow! Stop that!’

“Not until you stop drooling all over the table.” She set down her drink, looking at her computer screen with a shrug. Ugh… She hates the thesis with her entire being, “You should ask Lance out. I think he’d agree to it.”

“What? It’s too early for that.”

“Bullshit. It’s never too early to ask anyone out, especially if you’re daydreaming about him right now. The guy offered to give you _swimming lessons_ Keith and he stuck through it. Not to mention that Hunk and Shay are keeping their distance around you two as well.” She was tempted to ask about that but she wanted to give herself some time before she’d do that.

They had only been friends for a week. She didn’t want to ruin that.

“But what if he’s not interested Pidge?” Keith whined, letting his arms rest on the table, “What if it’s platonic for him? You said he had a girlfriend, what happened with that?”

“Allura? They broke up.” Pidge wrinkled her nose, poking Keith with her finger, “They separated about a month ago, or so Hunk said. Apparently people like to spread gossip that they’re still together when in fact they’re not.”

Keith looked up at her with his distrusting look. He raised a brow, sending an elaborative message Pidge’s way.

“Stop doing that, it’s creepy as hell.” The girl shrugged, “And yes, they really broke up. Lance is as single as he can be. Don’t waste this opportunity Keith, or else someone else will jump him. Lance is a catch.”

“He _is_ a catch.” Keith ageed, pushing himself up so that he was sitting upright. He looked out the window at the people passing by, watching as some students walked in and out of the campus, “I’ll ask him out.”

“That’s the spirit! I call dibs on the Korean restaurant downtown. You could impress him with your culture, showing him which foods he should go for and which he should avoid. Also! You can teach him how to eat with chopsticks. I bet ten bucks that he can’t even hold them.”

“I like that.” A confident smile spread across Keith’s lips, “And I would have the opportunity to show off my Korean.”

“That’s the spirit! So now that’s settled, when are you gonna ask him out?” Pidge grinned, leaning her elbow against the table and eyeing him with mischief in her eyes.

“I’ll write him a letter.” Keith decided, “I can’t do it face to face Pidge.”

“So that’s the catch here!” Pidge pointed an accusing finger at him, “I knew it was too good to be true!”

“Hear me out.” Keith placed his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back down into her seat, “I’ll try to give him a letter, and when he finds it and reads it, that’s when I’ll come out and ask him out on my own. If it doesn’t work then I’ll do it face to face.”

“ _Coward_.”

“At least I’m trying.” Keith took a sip of his cold tea that was on the table, “Give me a break Pidge. I never asked a guy out like this.”

“That’s why you _should_ make it the best confession you can. Your first confession should be _majestic_.”

“It’ll be just as majestic when I write the letter with all my feeling into it. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“Oh god, you’ll screw this up.”

“Such little faith.”

“I have a reason for it you dork. If you fail, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. That’s the only way I’ll agree with your dumb plan. Deal?” She offered Keith a hand to seal the deal. The boy hesitated for a second but shook her hand nonetheless.

“Deal.” And with this new deal, Keith was determined to make his plan work even more. Why? Because he didn’t want Pidge to get a say in how he asked Lance out. He’s fully capable doing it himself.

 

* * *

 

His first attempt took place in a parking lot.

Unlike himself, Lance was a proud owner of a car. It was old, and there were dents in it, but it was functional nonetheless. Lance used the car mostly to get around, that’s except for the university because he refuses to pay for an incredibly expensive parking spot.

That aside, Keith was on a mission, hiding behind a tree when he spotted Lance sitting up on his lifeguard tower, watching over the beach. His car was parked in the small lot nearby, and with his target in sight, Keith decided to go for it.

He ran to the blue Toyota car, placing his note just under the windshield wipers so that the wind wouldn’t carry it away. With the note secured, Keith made his way back to the tree he was hiding behind before sparing another look at Lance.

Perfect, he was still seated on top and the note was successfully delivered. Now all he had to do was wait. Lance was going to finish his shift soon, and then he’d change before heading back home. At least that’s what Keith hoped would happen. Either way, he was bound to go home at one point, and Keith could only hope that it would be sooner rather than later so that he doesn’t have to wait long.

But in the end he did end up waiting for quite some time. By the time Lance came by Keith was sitting beside the tree, eyes closer and on the border of sleep.

“See you later Lance!” A girl’s voice said, grabbing Keith’s attention and quickly turning to look out where he knew Lance’s car was.

“See you later Romelle!” Lance greeted back, walking towards his car. Keith gripped his hands against the trunk of the tree he was hiding behind, watching quietly as Lance walked to his car.

He felt his heart beat faster  when Lance clicked the car open, raising a brow once his eyes landed on the small paper that was on his windshield. Keith almost forgot to breathe when Lance took the small paper in his hand, his face twisting into something Keith didn’t expect.

“A parking ticket? I didn’t do anything! Oh no! _Nope!_ I’m not paying this!” Keith’s eyes widened further as Lance tore away at his letter, throwing it into the air to allow the small pieces to fall onto the ground.

Keith was shocked, his mouth gaping like a fish while he watched Lance get into his car, start the engine and then speed away.

What… What just happened?

Keith stood up from his spot, walking over to the bits and pieces of paper that were on the ground. What the quiznak just happened?

 

* * *

 

Keith’s second attempt took place on the beach.

He held his newly written letter in hand with the plan to place it on Lance’s seat when the lifeguard wasn’t looking. It was a simple task, and one he thought he’d achieve with no chance of failure. He stood in his swimwear, looking at the direction he knew Lance’s lookout tower was in.

Luckily Lance wasn’t on top of it, prompting Keith to look around the beach. He managed to spot his target further away from where he was on the other side, talking to a couple of people before continuing his patrol walk.

This was perfect. Keith grinned, quickly making his way to the lookout tower to swiftly carry out his mission. He thought he did a great job walking up to the structure, then climbing up to quickly place the letter inside and bolting. When he made it far enough, Keith looked back at the tower, his smile as wide as ever.

Yes! He did it! Keith jumped high above the sand, doing his own victory dance before seating himself down on the sand.

Perfect.

Now all he had to do was wait for Lance to come back, find the letter and read it, before Keith would make his way to him. Finally things were going to work out and… quiznak, the thought of it made Keith a bit nervous.

What if Lance found this weird? Would it be weird? No, it couldn’t be. Girls expressed their love all the time through letters, it was going to be alright.

Keith’s violet eyes looked over at Lance’s tower again, jumping up in shock when he saw pelicans land inside, then grab his letter. Oh no… Keith began running towards them, but from where he was he’d never make it on time. The two pelicans quickly flew out, one of them carrying his letter within its beak.

Keith could only watch in disbelief as the bird flew over to the sea, landing on it before throwing the letter into the water. The poor boy fell to his knees, completely shocked by what just happened. Was he that unlucky? What were the odds that his letter would be destroyed like this?

Keith gave a muffled yell, swearing that his third attempt would be a success.

 

* * *

 

For his third attempt Keith decided that he would give Lance the letter face to face. It would be awkward, _very awkward_ , but at least it was better than Pidge coming in to embarrass him even more. The point of the letter was so that he didn’t have to do it face to face, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Armed with roses and the best sneakers he owned on his feet, Keith slowly made his way to Lance’s shared apartment with Hunk. He deliberately took his time getting there, feeling his nervousness grow with every step he took.

 _Suck it up Kogane. It can’t be worse than when Pidge gets her own way and makes you confess right in front of him without a plan._ This way he had flowers as backup in case anything happened.

When he arrived at the student apartment complex, he let the receptionist know who he was before she told him the number of Lance’s room. He knew that already but he didn’t mind it since he was stalling for more time.

His steps were heavy when he went up the stairs, and then when he passed the not so good  nice smelling corridors, Keith was finally faced with his fated number. Room No.14; Hunk and Lance’s room.

This was it. _No turning back._

Keith didn’t think twice before knocking, because if he remained still he’d chicken out and run out of the building at twice the speed he came here in. The door opened all too soon for his liking, and suddenly he found himself face to face with none other than Hunk himself.

“Keith? Hey! What’re you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming.” The bulkier of the two opened the door wide, his smile so blinding that Keith almost had to look away. Although what surprised Keith was the way Hunk’s face twisted in confusion, looking at the flowers in his hand, “Who are those flowers for?”

“Ah-” Crap. What should he say to that? “They-Uhhh… They’re for you?”

…

 _Fuck you Kogane. Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse,_ “I mean, they’re flowers-For you know… uhhh…”

“Oh.” Was all Hunk said, and honestly, he couldn’t have said anything more frightening at this point, “I’m sorry man.” He moved his hand behind his head, scratching at his scalp, “It’s nice of you _butttt_ I don’t swing that way. I’m also kind of dating Shay.”

“Of course! I didn’t mean it like that! I was jus-”

“I get it man. Don’t worry about it. _Ehrm…_ I guess I’ll keep the flowers. I’ll accept them as a… friendly gesture. _Uhh_ … It was nice seeing you man. Bye!” Hunk awkwardly closed the door on Keith, leaving the poor boy in a traumatized state.

He screwed up.

_Again._

But that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst thing was that Hunk is Lance’s best friend, and there was no way that Hunk wouldn’t tell Lance about the flowers. _Quiznak_. He was screwed. His relationship with Lance may have lost all chance of success. He just ruined all of his chances, unless he somehow told Lance that the flowers were for him.

Shit. It’s over, _it’s all over._

 

* * *

 

“Apparently there’s been a shark sighting on a beach nearby. We should warn Keith about it.” Adam noted while reading the news on his tablet, sitting on a couch while sipping on his coffee. Shiro was over behind the counter, making his own cup of traditional Japanese tea.

“He won’t like it. You know he had those swimming lessons and all.” Shiro spoke from the kitchen, stirring his cup of tea with a spoon.

“I don’t think he’s swimming deep but it’s better to be safe than sorry. We should at least let him know, although I imagine that his instructor already knows about it.”

“He would. Lance is a lifeguard. He has to keep up-” When the door of the house opened, both Shiro and Adam tilted their heads to the side to look at it, spotting non other than Keith walking inside, “Hey Keith, great timing. Which one do you prefer, chinese or pizza?”

_“Despair.”_

The two lovers exchanged looks, communicating in their own sophisticated eyebrow language before returning their sights onto Keith. The boy was a sorry sight, walking over to the fridge before taking out a carton of milk and pouring it into a glass.

“What’s up? Did something happen at school today?” Adam asked in concern, lowering his tablet.

“I’d rather not talk about it.” Keith cringed, “But I’m fine. Just… _life.”_

“That sucks.”

“Yep.” Keith pulled out a chair, “Don’t mind me. Continue doing whatever you were doing.”

“Just talking about a recent shark sighting. You should be careful. It might be best not to venture out into deeper waters for a bit.” The concern was there in Adam’s voice but Keith couldn’t bother to do anything other than groan in response.

“Maybe this will cheer you up somewhat.” Shiro stepped next to him, pulling out a chair as well, “Lance came in today to deliver some flowers. He asked where you were and when we told him you were out, he looked a bit disappointed.”

“What?” Keith perked up at that, “Lance was looking for me? And he had flowers?”

“Yeah.” Adam replied this time, “We told him that you might be out with Pidge and then we asked him about the flowers. He told us they were a friendly gift for us so we took them.”

“That was sweet of him. He’s a good kid.” Shiro sipped on his tea, pointing at the bouquet of flowers that were in a vase on the counter, “They’re beautiful.”

Violet eyes looked at them in awe, letting the sight of those beautiful petals sink into his mind. Lance would get these flowers for them? For his family? That was… super nice. But why would he do that? Did he owe them something? No, if anything Keith _owed_ Lance for those lessons. He should be the one giving him the flowers, which to be fair he did, but with _slight_ complications.

Oh god… Lance must be home right now, looking at the flowers that were meant for him. If only Keith had the balls to tell Hunk that they were for Lance then it would have all turned out perfect but _nooooo_ he had to be an awkward screw up and mess everything up.

The sight of these flowers did make him feel better but now they just reminded him of the fact that Hunk was going to tell Lance that he had hit on him today even though he hadn’t. How was he this unlucky? Were they really not meant to be?

“I’ll go to my room. I’m meeting Pidge tomorrow morning.” To admit defeat and have her push him into confessing her way since he wasn’t capable enough to do it.

“You sure? Will you come down for dinner?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be done later. I just need some space.” Keith drank the whole glass of milk before standing up and walking out of the room. He took the walk of shame up the stairs, closing himself inside his room. He let himself fall against the soft mattress of his bed, letting out a loud groan.

If anyone could save his potential relationship with Lance at this point it was Pidge.

 

* * *

 

“You did _what!?_ Oh. My. God!”

“Can you stop rubbing it in my face? I screwed up, I know that.”

“You screwed up big time! Oh my god Keith! You gave Hunk the flowers? _Hunk!?_ Poor guy! But I can see why you’d be into him. Hunk is kind, considerate, has amazing cooking skills, is-”

“Pidge! You know who those flowers were for! I just told you! Now concentrate. We need to save my potential relationship with Lance from crumbling to pieces! What do I do?”

“I don’t know Kogane, you dug a pretty big hole for yourself to crawl out of.” Pidge took a sip of her marshmallow drink, her hazel eyes looked out the window of the coffee shop in thought, “But it’s not deep enough. I can save you from it _but_ you could have saved yourself the embarrassment if you just agreed with my way from the beginning.”

“There’s a reason I did that you _gremlin_. You would have pulled me through the mud screaming and kicking.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She tilted her head, meeting his eyes, “I’m offended but I’m _that_ great of a friend that I’ll ignore your insults and help you instead. So here’s the tea, we’re doing this face-to-face.”

Keith groaned, leaning his upper body against the table and let his head fall between his arms, “Did I tell you that he gave my family flowers? On the same day I went over to his apartment?”

“What? Lance did?”

“Yeah.” Keith looked up again, “Adam and Shiro said that those were friendship flowers or something like that. I don’t even know anymore Pidge.”

The girl hummed, sipping some more on her drink. She looked outside at the busy crowd waiting for the bus and then a few people that were passing by the window. Everyone had their own fate didn’t they? They had places to be and had destinies to fulfil. She doesn’t think Keith lost his chances yet, not at all actually.

“What if those flowers were for you? I mean, why would he give out friendship flowers like that? It’s weird.”

Keith perked up, looking over at Pidge, “Don’t try to get my hopes up.”

“I’m not, I’m being logical here. Why else would he bring them? I bet he wanted to give them to you but then had to make up some lame excuse, like you should have done with Hunk.”

“I made up an excuse! I told him they were for him but then I blacked out and he took it the wrong way.”

“You’re impossible.” Pidge rolled her eyes, “You’re such a disaster that it _hurts_.”

“Shut up and help. Don’t give me false hope and just help me think of what to do. What do I say? He’ll think I like Hunk now.”

“Nonsense. The reality may turn out to be completely different from what you expect it to be. Just wait and see, everything will work out.”

“Says you. You’re not the one who screwed up. I’m going to meet him tomorrow on the beach. What do I do?” God, that will be the most awkward rendezvous he’ll ever have, “Didn’t you say you were going to take matters into your own hands?”

“I wanted to but I don’t think I’ll need to do it anymore. If I’m correct then I won’t even have to move a finger. Trust me Keith, fate is on your side here.”

“You should have seen me try to deliver my letter then. Fate was all but on my side.”

“Inch-resting but I’ll pass. Wait till tomorrow, if I’m wrong then I’ll help you fix this shit but I doubt it.”

“Thanks Pidge. You know, I depended on you. You were my last resort and now you failed me.”

“You should have listened to me you dork. You did this to yourself, I don’t feel sorry for you at all.” Maybe her suspicions were a part of it but she won’t mention it. Keith would have a good time tomorrow at the beach, she was sure of it.

“Spoken like a true friend. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She sipped on her drink contently, playing with the straw, “Just trust me on this. It’ll work out.”

“I hate you.”

 

* * *

 

Keith returned back home tired and defeated. His entire day was ruined because of the one mistake he made with Hunk, and it was eating away at him from within. He genuinely thought he had a chance with Lance, but then he had to go and screw it over by the mess of a scene he made with Hunk.

It was all his fault, and he knew it. That was the biggest fault in all of this, he’s a mess. He should have known that this would be anything but easy, after all, he’s been single all these years for a reason. He’s a mess, and it came to the point where it’s preventing him from having a genuine relationship with a guy he really likes.

A guy he probably pushed away without even wanting to do it, all because he gave flowers to the said guy’s best friend and roommate.

Keith was done for. At this point he could say goodbye to his romantic relationships.

With a deep sigh, the pale boy made his way back into his house, taking off his shoes and not bothering to look up or around as he passed. He could hear Shiro and Adam in the kitchen, but apart from greeting them, he didn’t do anything else. Sure it earned him confused looks from the two, but he couldn’t handle it at this point. He just needed to get back to his room and sob his troubles away.

His feet were heavy as he walked up the stairs, and when he finally entered his room, he didn’t waste the time to throw himself onto his bed. Burying his head into the pillow, Keith groaned loudly into the void of softness underneath him.

The night was young and the moon was already high above in the sky when Keith’s phone began to ring. The new ringing sound made the boy groan and then reach for the device. He didn’t bother looking at he number of caller ID before he picked up, mumbling a ‘hello’ before a familiar voice sounded on the other side.

“Keith? Are you okay?”

The said boy froze when he heard Lance’s voice, jumping up quickly and stumbling up on his bed, “I’m okay!” He assured, seating himself back down calmly before clearing his throat, “Hi Lance, sorry, I was… asleep.”

“Oh.” Came Lance’s hum, “That’s good. You sounded like a mummy.” His voice was light, and the sound of it made Keith relax all the more, “So…” Lance began, but then paused and began to hesitate, “Hunk told me you came by today.”

Here it comes. Keith braced himself, his knuckles tightening as he closed his fist around a blanket, “Yeah, I was actually looking for you. I thought we could go out to that coffee place you showed me but you weren’t there.”

“Balmera Cafe? Sorry, I was out practicing in the theatre for a show. If you’d like, we could go for a drink tomorrow? We’re meeting up anyway.”

“I’d like that.” Keith nodded, more to himself than Lance.

“So.” Lance began, the hesitancy in his tone returning, “Hunk told me you gave him flowers. They’re really pretty.”

Oh no… Keith felt his hands begin to sweat, “Yeah, I mean…” How does he explain this? “They…” Should he just say it? “They weren’t just for Hunk. They were for you too. A-As a thank you for those swimming lessons.”

There was a pause on the other line, and at this point Keith began lowkey panicking, thinking that he may have said something wrong, “Oh.” Then came Lance’s voice, much lighter than it was a second ago, “So they’re for both Hunk and I?”

Now Keith was really getting cornered here, “Well… They were for you but they can be for Hunk as well if he likes them.” Shoot, should he have said that?

“That’s nice. Thanks Keith, they’re beautiful.” Lance’s response relieved him.

“No problem. I’m glad you like them.”

“I love them.” Lance’s voice was light, and if he could, Keith would listen to it until he eventually fell asleep, “So we’re meeting tomorrow? 2 pm?”

“You bet.” A wide smile spread across Keith’s face, relieved that he managed to sort out this misunderstanding. Who knew that all it would take was a simple phone call. He’s such an idiot, why didn’t he think of it before?

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Night samurai!”

“Night Lance.” Keith bid back, his smile wide as he pressed the red button on his phone and hung up. After that, all Shiro and Adam could hear from up the stairs were the sounds of Keith jumping up and down his bed in pure relief and excitement.

 

* * *

 

The day of his and Lance’s date came, and Keith couldn’t be any more nervous than he was right now. He was in his sandals as he walked down the busy streets of his hometown, close to the beach. He wore a huge hat to protect himself from the sun, and made sure to cover himself all over with sunscreen when he made himself out of the shower.

Making sure to brush his teeth, and cursing the fact that he couldn’t put on some kind of perfume or deodorant, Keith was ready for his date with Lance. He called it a date, and in his head it was a date. What it was to Lance? Just friends meeting up, but he planned to change that soon enough.

If everything went as well as he hoped then he’ll be asking Lance out today. And if Lance accepts, they’ll become boyfriends, and if they become boyfriends, they can do all those couple things Keith saw on TV and read in all those cheesy love stories.

They’ll go out on dates to the cinema, go out for a drink, invite over Lance for dinner, and so much more that just thinking about it made Keith’s pining little heart beat faster. He was going to make this a success, but if only-

“So this is it.” Pidge spoke, breaking the peaceful inner conversation he had with himself, “Today is the day.”

“I know.” Deciding not to indulge her, Keith looked out at the beach as he walked, trying to find Lance among the crowd. Today is a busy day for sure, “Don’t say anything. I’ll do all the talking and if I get stuck then you have my back.”

“Got you.” The girl leaned her hands against her hips, her hazel eyes looking over the beach curiously, “There he is! He’s holding a blue surf board, can you see it?”

“Yeah.” Keith nodded, spotting the gorgeous boy over by the safeguard house, talking to a couple of girls. It was at this moment that Keith felt pure jealousy take over, “What are they doing?”

“Lance is attractive. You can’t blame them.” Pidge gave it to him as it was, patting him on the back, “But something tells me Lance has eyes only for you. Hold your head up as you  go Kogane, be proud. You’re better than all of them.”

“I can do this.” Keith muttered to himself, taking in a breath of confidence before beginning his walk over to Lance and the girls. Curiously enough, one of the girls had a familiar parrot on her shoulder, the thing tilted his head to the side to look at him as he approached.

As soon as Lance caught sight of him, a huge smile spread across his face, “Hi Keith!” He waved, and Keith couldn’t help but smile at that, “You made it.”

“Yeah, sorry I’m late.”

“Nah, you’re on time. I was just talking with these girls here about how crowded it’s getting. Summer is really close, huh.”

“It sure is.” Keith agreed, standing his ground. He felt everyone’s attention shift over to him and he wasn’t fond of it. He hates attention more than anything, which made this a rough start for him in asking Lance out.

“Hi nice to meet you.” One of the girls introduced themselves, “Are you the one Lance saved weeks ago? How are you doing?”

“I’m fine.” Keith frowned, “It’s been a while since the incident. I almost forgot about it.”

“At least not you can be sure it won’t happen again.” Lance said smugly, referring to his lessons.

“I sure can.” And Keith agreed with him, folding his arms, “I’m unsinkable now.”

_“Getting dick! Getting dick!”_

The parrot suddenly squacked, startling the group and provoking different reactions from everyone. The girls and Lance were laughing, one girl found it weird, while Keith was startled. Was this the same parrot he saw on the day of his first lesson? Come to think of it, the colours were the same.

“This little guy knows what he wants.” Lance chuckled, but if only he knew who the parrot was copying he bets it wouldn’t be as funny. Oh god, this was going downhill much faster than Keith thought.

“I don’t know why but he’s been saying that these last couple of days. Some perv must have said it and this little guy heard it. The thing is though, he chases away our customers.” The girl holding him complained, and Keith realized that she must be an employee of the pizza stand where he first saw the parrot.

The good thing was that nobody knew it was him, so he sighed in relief knowing he was safe.

“It can’t be that bad.” Lance frowned.

“Nah, most of them just find it funny.” The girl assured, “Nothing to worry about, the business is about to bloom. Summer is here after all. Well, we’re going to leave you alone now. See you around Lance!”

“Bye Romelle.” The brunette waved as Romelle and her group of friends left, leaving Keith all alone with Lance. Finally, it was just the two of them, “I’m not on shift today so we can have some fun. Wanna go out for a swim?”

“I’d love that.” Keith smiled, reaching over to take off his shirt before turning to face Lance again. His pale skin stood in stark contrast to Lance’s exotic tanned skin, and Keith had to take a moment to just admire that for a second.

“Is it just me or did you get a bit of a tan? You’ve been on the beach for our lessons, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.”

“I might have.” The pale boy smirked, walking over to Lance and passing him to get to the water first, “I might get tan even more since I’ll be spending a lot of time in water.”

“Thanks to yours truly.” Lance walked after him, joining him in the cold water. The jerk he was, he splashed some of the water on Keith who yelped before turning to scold him, “Hey!” Keith moved to splash back but Lance threw himself into the water, submerging himself as he swam away and resurfaced, “Let’s see if you can get to me here samurai.”

Challenge accepted as Keith threw himself in the water, uncaring of the cold. He did shiver, but ignored it in favour of getting to Lance. All of the merits of his lesson were coming to fruition now, swimming within the water like he was born doing it. He was really thankful to Lance for teaching him, really really grateful.

When he reached the brunette, Keith smirked in victory, splashing some of the water on the other, “Thought I couldn’t do it?”

“Nope, I knew you could do it Keith.” Lance smiled but didn’t return the fire, “I saw you progress since the beginning. You’re a natural.”

“It’s all thanks to your lessons. Thanks Lance, I really don’t think I would have learned if it weren’t for you.”

“No problem samurai. I’m just glad to know you won’t drown anymore. At least not from not knowing how to swim.”

“Yeah.” Keith smiled, looking back over at the shore. They were quite a few ways away but not too much. He couldn’t feel the ground below him so they weren’t that close either. There was nothing to worry about though, not with Lance next to him like this.

“It’s funny how smaller everything gets the further you swim away. If you’re lost at sea that can be a scary experience.” Lance said, his eyes meeting Keith’s own, “Admire the sea but you need to respect it.”

Keith hummed to that, looking back at the beach in front of him, “It is scary.” He agreed, “But luckily we’re not lost at sea.”

“Yeah.” Lance agreed to that, “You can’t get lost if you have me here with you.”

“For sure.” Keith smiled to that, gathering the courage to ask the question, “So umm… Lance.” He began, meeting those blue eyes, “I really enjoyed the swimming lessons and you helped me a lot. Heck, you saved my life.”

“I did what anyone would have done.”

“No, Lance, you saved me. It was you who ran up to me, nobody else. And… I’m really grateful for everything. I was thinking that maybe… if… you want to go out with me?”

There was a pause, and Keith felt his heartbeat increase at that one question. Lance was quiet too which wasn’t helping at all, “Go out?” Until he spoke.

“Yeah, you… and me…”

“I’d like that.” The answer Lance gave was unexpected.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’d love to actually. I have to admit that… I’ve liked you for awhile now.”

Keith’s eyes widened, staring blankly at the brunette, “Really?”

“Yeah.” Lance’s lips curved, “Didn’t you notice? I tried to be transparent about it but then it all went downhill when I went to your house and gave Shiro and Adam flowers instead of you. I’m glad we sorted that out. I was heartbroken when Hunk told me you gave him flowers.”

“They were for you.” Keith frowned, “I just got caught up in the moment and didn’t know what to say.”

“Maybe that they’re for me? That would have worked.” Lance teased, giving him that knowing look.

“I screwed up, I know. I’m a dating disaster. I never dated before you know.”

“Never? Ever?” It was Lance’s turn to be surprised.

“Yes.” Keith blushed.

“I see.”

“Good.” The pale boy splashed some water onto his official boyfriend, asking the question once again, “Lance, will you be my boyfriend?”

“You know it. I get to choose our first date.”

And just like that, Keith finally found love.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really proud of this work and wish I focused on it more while writing... but I hope you still enjoyed it at least a little. Thank you so much for reading.


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